Tag Archives: People First

Being Effective Vs. Being Right

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Bob- what’s up with the flood of blog posts? The answer: I am attending the BlogathonATX – 12 hours of workshops, positive Mojo and yes- blogging. Bobism’s? Mark Becker, a long-term client and friend, invented the term many years ago to title key concepts I use to advise and guide my clientele. So without further ado… enjoy the flood of Bobisms! 

As leaders, we falsely believe that being “right” is central to our effectiveness. After all, we’re paid to have the answers. Our business cards ooze with authority and cool titles that almost demand that we take charge. And so we do. We take charge. We zero in on what’s right and wrong. But is leadership truly about right and wrong, or is it more about being highly effective? And does peak effectiveness require us to be right? I am rather sure it doesn’t. We do not live in a black and white world. In fact, it’s been my experience that when a leader thinks only in terms of black and white, they tend to divide versus unite, diminish versus build.

The question to always ask is not whether something is right or wrong, but rather- what would be the most effective solution, without sacrificing your values or ethics? Doing the most effective thing is comparable to taking the higher road, the road less travelled, as poetically described by Robert Frost.

http://www.bartleby.com/119/1.html

Being effective is about taking the Big Picture into account, determining what will make the most sense over the long haul while leaving all parties involved whole, still passionately engaged. A good employee will always have flaws, just as you will always have shortcomings. The key, when those blind spots get in the way (yours or theirs), is to find the common, most effective ground from which to build solutions upon. Constantly focusing on someone’s shortcomings, however, even if you’re “right”, will only demoralize them, causing resentments and passive aggression.

A nuanced version of the “right vs effective” challenge, relates to delegation and empowering your work force. It’s very easy to keep a tight grip on key projects that could otherwise be effectively delegated, simply because you- as the CEO or senior executive, know you could do it better. Are you “right”? Perhaps you are 100% right, but that doesn’t mean that holding on is the effective thing to do, for many reasons on many levels. If you are to grow as a leader and as an organization, people need to have the room to do things their own way; they need to be able to make mistakes and thus learn from those mistakes. Deny them that ability and you deny them of their right to grow, learn and thrive. The leader that let’s his or her people fall within the context of a safe and well managed work environment, is the leader that build fierce loyalty and trust.

There are certainly instances where a clear sense of right and wrong is called for, depending upon the situation. I am not disputing that truth. However, it will be your ability discern between the two, between when a situation calls for a judgement versus common ground, that will determine whether you become a wise, people building leader- or a perfectionist that constantly breaks people down. The choice is yours to make.

Food For Thought-
Bob Olmstead

PS: Spread the Word!!!  How, you ask? Just click one of those buttons below, which will connect you to Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, Digg- there’s even one for emailing this blog to your contact list. Also, by subscribing, each new post lands directly in your email. Many thanks!

The Yin and Yang of Leadership

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Bob- what’s up with the flood of blog posts? The answer: I am attending the BlogathonATX – 12 hours of workshops, positive Mojo and yes- blogging. Bobism’s? Mark Becker, a long-term client and friend, invented the term many years ago to title key concepts I use to advise and guide my clientele. So without further ado… enjoy the flood of Bobisms! 

Management by fear and intimidation, a school of thought long held and still very much alive, does little more then to stress out employees and managers. Such an approach is best noticed by a company’s culture. People are afraid. It’s the kind of fear that is toxic, corroding, even diminishing.  On the other extreme is what I call Management by Endless Empowerment; flat hierarchies, everyone has an opinion, long decision making loops, an overinflated need for absolute consensus. Cultures such as these tend to be out of control, on some level. Suffering from weak Command & Control architecture, the results commonly seen include problems with follow through, problems with the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing, working in silos, insubordination and low levels of accountability. There’s a better, more balanced way.

The Yin and Yang of Leadership embraces the view that there is a direct relationship between your effectiveness as a leader and the degree to which your leadership style is balanced, healthy and consistent. Where there is “healthy” fear, there must also be, in equal measure, an equal dose of “healthy” love.

Healthy fear is about consistent and humane accountability, predictable consequences for undesirable behavior, the realization that as a participant- you will be expected to grow and to own your behavior and success. Healthy fear, ultimately, is about maintaining a high standard, humanely enforced. Healthy love is about collaboration, honoring and respectful work environments, robust celebrations of success, cultures that champion the human spirit in a structured, culture enhancing way. It it when you, as a leader, are able to keep in balance these two polar opposites, the Yin and Yang, that culturally, relationally, you will be the most effective as an organization.

REFERENCE SITES:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management_by_fear
http://on.msnbc.com/qwzhE9 –Ten symptoms of a culture managed by fear–

Food For Thought-
Bob Olmstead

PS: Spread the Word!!!  How, you ask? Just click one of those buttons below, which will connect you to Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, Digg- there’s even one for emailing this blog to your contact list. Also, by subscribing, each new post lands directly in your email. Many thanks!

What Kind Of “Branded Experiences” Do You Offer Employees?

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Branding… a single word with as many meanings as there are flavors of Ben & Jerry’s.  http://www.benjerry.com/flavors/our-flavors/  However, in my view, branding is most about the types of experiences you offer, which extends to your company culture. Like a meticulously crafted ice cream, your culture should be as delicious and memorable; rich in diversity, overflowing with imagination and always making you want for more. By this standard, how would your organization’s work environment measure up? Better yet, how do you think your employees would answer that question? There’s no right or wrong, just answers that, perhaps, could inspire you to elevate your game.

It has always struck me as odd that a company would sink a great deal of money into the act of getting customers; stupendously gorgeous logos, cutting edge advertising, strong product and/or service offerings and more- only to moderately invest into the workforce charged with the responsibility of bringing those marketed promises to life. We dedicate ourselves to inspiring fierce customer loyalty, but do we apply the same level of passion to inspiring fierce employee loyalty? You see both your customers and your employees have one very important thing in common, they both have deeply felt needs, known and unknown to them. Your ability to meet those needs, to provide meaningful and engaging experiences that endear these human beings to you, that is what true branding is all about.

I created the term Power Branding to create a far more accurate and real world view of what branding has become in the Social Media Age. Branding today is as much about offering meaningful experiences, as is it about positioning strategies and slick ad campaigns. You will need to deeply connect with your customers and, your employees alike. Notice I stated, “deeply connect” as the criteria. Branding is about building sustainable relationships that then grow into what you become known for, meaning- your brand. Logos can’t do that!

I cannot tell you how many times I have run into frustrated business owners that do a great job with customers, only to fall short in terms of their growth potential and aspirations. What would be the most common cause for this? They call all in when it comes to their customers, but hold their cards close when it comes to their employees. Put another way, they have tremendous passion for what they do, but not nearly enough passion for the people they work with to get the job done. When I help a client Power Brand their firm, I help them elevate all of the experiences they offer or need to offer, from the inside-out.

What does Power Branding look like in action, in the area of company culture? Lets take a look at an organization that truly gets it, living these ideals every day. Bazaarvoice  http://www.bazaarvoice.com, is consistently ranked as one of the best places to work in Texas. They are not a former client nor do I have any affiliation with them on any level. At least not at the time of this writing. But I absolutely love what they have done with their organization. The culture of Bazaarvoice is every bit as important to their overall branding strategy, as is their marketing or anything else they do well. Check it out:

http://www.bazaarvoice.com/about/culture
http://www.bazaarvoice.com/blog/2011/05/20/measuring-the-value-of-killer-company-culture
http://texasceomagazine.com/features/brett-hurt-from-austins-bazaarvoice-talks-about-the-importance-of-culture/

And if your curious about the CEO and co-founder of Bazaarvoice, Brett Hurt, a man who is very passionate about company culture, I encourage you to follow him on Twitter:  @bazaarbrett

Now that you’ve been able to see what Power Branding your employment experiences looks like in action, I have a question for you. Have you ever struggled with any of the following?

  • Understanding how to integrate the various generations into your work environment
  • Finding and retaining utterly amazing talent
  • Staying on the cutting edge of your industry
  • Customer service and/or retention
  • Remaining relevant and fresh
  • Inspiring the same kind of passion in employees, that you feel as an owner

What if I could help you solve ALL OF THOSE issues without you ever having to hire me? Of course hiring me would only increase the results you get… but I digress. The answer is simple; build the kind of culture, offer the kind of work environment, that has people standing in line just dying to work for your organization. Give people a true and genuine voice. Sincerely allow people to create and fully participate in the solutions. Celebrate success big, not reckless, just big- in ways that are emotional, fun and memorable. Give your team a cause, a heartfelt reason, to give your organization far more then they would normally give, versus merely demanding it. In short, be something more, a whole lot more, then just a job.

My last acid test, I promise, but this one will be really tough. Ready? If a potential employee that you passionately want to hire were to get a job offer from you and then another offer from Bazaarvoice, for the same money, who would win? I know, I can be a pain.

Food For Thought-
Bob Olmstead

PS: Spread the Word!!!  How, you ask? Just click one of those buttons below, which will connect you to Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, Digg- there’s even one for emailing this blog to your contact list. Also, by subscribing, each new post lands directly in your email. Many thanks!